Caswell Harp Ranges



There are three ways (at least) of describing an instrument's pitch range alphanumerically.

One is standard for pedal harps and relates to the top note, and which octave (from F to the next E above). For example, C1 would be the C in the first complete octave F to E at the top. (There's actually one higher on the pedal harp - #0, and a G above that - #00.)

I find this system difficult for non-pedal harp players but I put it in parentheses after the one I prefer for all you pedal harp players.

There's another system called International Pitch Notation which starts with A0 at the bottom, in the next octave below the low F shown below. Confused?

That's why, over the years, I've used the system which is symmetric around Middle C, a note to which we can relate. Middle C, is written as just plain "C." "C superscript 1" is the first C above middle C, and "C subscript 1" is the first C below Middle C. Easier, huh?

It can be awkward to do superscript and subscript on a web page. So I use lower case to indicate octaves above middle C. So, "a2" is the same as "A superscript 2."

Harp-Ranges

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